Very recently the problem of pediatric HIV infection and AlDS has appeared in Houston and the yearly tripling of the disease (30 cases in 1987) demand a city-wide coordinated effort to combat this deadly disease. Houston's two medical schools, Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) and the University of Texas (UT) have formed a collaborative treatment group in conjunction with the children's hospitals in Houston, Texas Children's Hospital, University Children's Hospital at Hermann Hospital, Jefferson Davis Hospital, and Ben Taub Hospital, and the City of Houston Health and Human Services Department to more effectively deal with the growing menace to the children. The Departments of Pediatrics at BCM and UT intend justify to become a NIAID-funded ACTG treatment center for pediatric AIDS (UT as the subcontractor) (see Fig. 1). This will be accomplished by use of centralized facilities. These will include: (1) an administrative core at Texas Children's Hospital under the direction of William T. Shearer, M.D., Ph.D., the Principal Investigator, and Carol J. Baker. M.D., Co-Principal Investigator. (2) a single data collection site for computer (Director, Thomas Mc. Jones. M.D., Ph.D.) and communication with NIAID when necessary. (3) common laboratory facilities for detection of HIV virus and related antigens (Director, Blaine Hollinger, M.D.), diagnostic virology (Director, Gail J. Demmler. M.D.), and determination of pharmacokinetics of AZT and acyclovir (Director, Stuart Feldman, Ph.D.) for all ACTG protocol patient specimens from BCM and UT, and (4) determination of lymphocyte subsets in parallel laboratories at BCM (Director, William T. Shearer, M.D., Ph.D.) and UT (Director, James Reubin. M.D.). Treatment protocols will be run ia parallel at the two medical schools and will be supervised by the co-principal investigators, Carol J. Baker, M.D. (BCM) and Larry Pickering, M.D. (UT) who will lead a common Joint Executive Committee. Two Clinical Coordinators will be responsible for direct patient care and adherence to protocol: Celine Guerra Hanson. M.D. (BCM) and W. Keith Hoots. M.D. (UT). The key feature of this collaborative study is the utilization of National Institute of Health (NIH)-funded Clinical Research Centers (CRC) at BCM (pediatric CRC located at Texas Children's Hospital) and UT (located at Hermann Hospital). Numerous clinical departments of BCM and UT and clinical services of Texas Children's Hospital, Hermann Hospital, and Harris County Hospital District will support the complete evaluation, treatment, and follow-up of children studied on Pediatric ACTG protocols.